There has conventionally been proposed a technique that, in a network communication game, with a plurality of terminal devices communicating with one another, makes any one of the terminal devices function as a so-called “server” and the others function as “clients” to advance the game. A technique related to such a game is disclosed in Patent Literatures 1 and 2, which are listed below.
In a technique disclosed in Paragraph [0037] and [0038] of Description of Patent Literature 1, one of terminal devices to be competed is allotted to a main terminal, and depending on whether the main terminal or not, a process related to advancement of a game is made different.
Also, Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique for simulating the collision of objects in a virtual space, which can be applied to situations such as hitting back a ball with a bat or racket.
Meanwhile, in general, not only in a network communication game, but in a various types of games, there is used a method in which, under the condition that one of players is assigned to a “parent”, and the other players are assigned to “children”, tasks performed by the “parent” and the “children” are made different.
Accordingly, even in a match in the network communication game, there is widely used a method in which operation input by a player is transmitted from a “child” terminal device to a “parent” terminal device to make the terminal device corresponding to a “parent” determine contact between a ball and the player (in a baseball game or the like, success/failure, or the like, of a series of operations, for example, the ball is released from a pitcher's hand, a batter's bat hits the ball, a fielding side gets the ball with a glove and then throws the ball, the fielding side catches the ball to touch a runner, and other operations; in tennis, table tennis, air hockey, or the like, success/failure of a series of operations of contact between a racket and the ball and hitting back of the ball, calculation of movement of the ball, and other operation), or perform other operation.
On the other hand, in order to make a match equal, there is used a method in which all players sequentially rotate a “parent”. For example, in a baseball game or the like, offense and defense are switched to each other in the top or bottom of each inning, and in tennis, table tennis, air hockey, or the like, a player to provide a service is switched according to a rule. For this reason, even in the network communication game, there is used a method in which a “parent” is rotated to thereby maintain equality.
Patent Literature 1: Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2003-190635
Patent Literature 2: Japanese Patent No. 3542795